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Monthly Insights Thoughts from Pat Baillie, Associate Director of Training & Professional Development

It was amazing to see so many of you at the 2011 Annual Workplace Summit in Dallas! There was so much going on, the week flew by and we barely got a chance to network. I know there were many highlight moments for me and I wanted to share them and invite you to send your highlight moments in too through Groupsite or the Trainers Forum webinar!

As we work with corporations during the year, we sense their frustration at the pace of change and wanting to do more for LGBT equality. Checking off the list of best practices such as policy, benefits, recruiting, marketing is something so many ERGs are working on every day. Finding the next step sometimes seems to take forever, and we wonder, will "X" ever happen.

Two corporations this year reached those goals. The Bank of America ERG worked closely with Out & Equal and had a chance to talk to their highest level leaders at Bank of America. At that meeting, tax equity* was discussed and I was happy to hear Bank of America announce they would be starting up a tax equity program in the next few months. Training also worked with Wells Fargo to connect them with companies that were doing Self-Identification such as Xerox, KPMG, Ernst & Young, and Bank of America, and they also announced at the Summit that they will be beginning an HR Systems LGBT Self-Identification program very soon.

There were also the small steps that showed we are making progress on so many fronts. Having the first military panel discussing the workplace for LGBT servicemembers was a personal triumph for me. Seeing a growing number of other sectors such as manufacturing and aerospace are other indications that LGBT inclusion has become the standard to achieve. With more mid- to small-sized companies and non-profit organizations discussing creating ERG networks, there will be more exciting work to do in the coming year.

Be sure to take advantage of the audio and videos of many of the Summit's workshops to share with your ERG, or to use in your own training program. Check out the Hungry Minds link to order today. Watch the Training calendar for our virtual summit presentations in the coming months that will bring some of the Summit highlights to you through our webinar program.

If you didn't make it to the Summit this year, we hope to see you in Baltimore in 2012. Connect with one of the Regional Affiliates this year and start building the business case not only for your attendance but for your HR and Executive Leadership attendance as well.

Sincerely,

Pat Baillie

*Currently, under federal tax law, health insurance benefits for same-sex partners or spouses and different-sex partners are treated as additional income to the employee, regardless of whether the employee's state legally recognizes the relationship.

Trainers' Corner

News for Out & Equal Certified Trainers

We are beginning to look at programs for 2012. We want to provide online programming as well as training series for your area. If you have some ideas for what's needed in your area, drop me an email so we can include it in the plan. Think about using free resources such as the Town Call to create a monthly LGBT focus for the ERG or your workplace. Begin to work on the diversity calendar and programming with your HR or D&I offices now. Pride, National Coming Out Day, Transgender Awareness and HIV/AIDS month are all opportunities to provide awareness and training on LGBT employees. Now is also the time to start talking with other ERGs to plan for joint events to highlight all of our diversity!

We had 55 registered for the Train the Trainer session at the Summit, and we have just added 34 new trainers to the Trainer's Network. For those of you who weren't able to make the training, and whose 2-year certification is coming to a close, be sure to sign up for the online courses, Building Bridges and Training the Trainer, so you don't miss any of the latest training updates.

Join us to share and hear each other's stories on the next monthly Trainers' Forum Webinar on November 14, 10:00am (Pacific Time Zone). Contact Pat Baillie for more information.

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates™ is a national nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

Out & Equal is committed to ending employment discrimination for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees. We believe that people should be judged by the work they do, not by their sexual orientation or gender identity. Every day, we work to protect and empower employees to be productive and successful-so they can support themselves, their families, and contribute to achieving a world free of discrimination for everyone.